Good, Better, Best: Georgette Heyer

So, I maaaaay have promised this post to Sarah Seele last spring, saying that it'd probably be done by June of last year (i.e. 2021. I think it was 2021. If it was 2020, that's just too embarrassing.) Because she recommended me a bunch of Heyer, and then I said I should do a GBB. And I concurred. I should do a GBB. It's just taken me...the better part of a year, mostly because my aunts and mother kept recommending more Heyer for me to read. Which is not a problem, per se, just...a bit of a setback in terms of finishing my Heyer TBR, y'know.

So, you may be wondering, who is Georgette Heyer? Well, she was a prolific author who wrote over fifty books in her lifetime, which spanned from 1921 to 1974. She specialized in the Regency era, which she researched meticulously, writing with a level of detail that is absolutely stunning. (Really. Unbelievable.) Her books are witty, dashing, sweet, and all together enjoyable. I was introduced to her works through my mom first, and then realized that at least a couple of my blogger friends know of her, too, as well as my aunts...hence the plenteous recommendations.

I ran into a slight roadblock while I was writing this post, which was, as mentioned, that I promised this post to Sarah last spring. Which means I've been reading these books since last spring. And I usually wrote very short reviews. And one might think, "Oh, Samantha, you should be able to remember all the details of all these books, right?" Dear reader, do you know how many books I read in a year? I DEFINITELY have forgotten details from a lot of these books, and have had to look up various synopses. XD The good news is, once I remember which book is which, it's not like I don't remember it...I just have to jog my memory, is all. So, some of these may be a little shorter than other mini-reviews in GBBs, is what I'm saying, I suppose.


Good

Faro's Daughter
A battle of wits in a Regency novel of manners? That is something that I'm here for. The mischief that Deborah gets into while she is trying to get back at Max for...well, being Max...is hilarious, and enjoyable. However, I did find that both the beginning and a lot of the middle draaaaaagged, and I both predicted the ending (for at least one of the characters) and disliked the way it wrapped up so precipitously. Then again, that is all Heyer. But anyway. 


The Talisman Ring
As I noted when I read it, this book was not one of Heyer's most substantial plots, but it was fast-paced and fun in any case. I liked some characters more than others--Ludovic and Eustacie were both rather silly (as the younger characters in Heyer often tend to be, I must
admit) but Sarah and Sir Tristram were quite enjoyable to read about. So, so, so.


The Unknown Ajax
This story was pretty much the opposite of The Talisman Ring, in that the story consists in the every-day for a lot of the time, rather than being "oh, and we're solving a murder mystery". And it's astonishing how Heyer can pull both of those off comparatively well. I love Hugo--his wit and Yorkshire accent are rather the best, and the way he enters the family and shakes things up in his own way is incomparable. The romance is adorable, of course, because does Heyer write any other kind? I did think, though (and this is why it's in "Good") that the ending was philosophically and morally questionable. So there's that.


The Nonesuch
Sir Waldo is a Nonesuch, he really is. It's the perfect name for him. His ability to Handle A Situation while remaining Calm and Collected is unparalleled. But at the same time, he has a really kind heart that doesn't always show but is absolutely there. And Miss Trent's ability to Handle a Situation is only second to his, and given that the Situation she usually has to handle is Tiffany (a spoiled brat of a girl), honestly, her Handling Abilities might be equal to his. In any case, much of this book is taken up by Situations, often involving either Tiffany or Sir Waldo's nephew Julian (who is a sweetheart, and I love him), which must be Handled, in more or less successful and entertaining ways, ending in a colossal misunderstanding, which could be irritating, but is handled quite nicely.  


Cotillion
Freddy, Freddy, Freddy. Another reviewer has noted the unusualness of the hero of a romance novel simply being a Really Good and Kind Guy, and it is unusual, but should it be? It's so lovely here. There's a lot of drama between cousins that felt mostly relatable (the romance part not so much, but y'know) and I love Kitty's kind heart very much. This is definitely not one of the ones that I remember best, but I do remember liking it. :)


A Civil Contract
I really enjoyed this book. It came at a stressful time in my life, and the ability to sit next to a wood-burning heater and curl up and disappear into a world where one's biggest problem is one's husband's ex-fiance who still has a crush on him (well, I guess that is a pretty big problem, but...still) was nice. I really liked Adam. He is just a Sweet Man, and he needs hugs. And I like Jenny, as well...the way that she makes every arrangement for Adam's comfort, noticing his every preference without being told, reminds me of my mom, and it's something I aspire to. Also, as I noted on Goodreads, in marriage-of-convenience books there's always that trope that basically goes "well, are they going to get in bed together? because they're not in love. Let's wait until they fall in love and then use that as a plot point with maybe a little too much detail" or something like that. And that absolutely didn't happen here. The reader is told in a high-handed way (i.e. it would most likely go over a child's head) that they get in bed together on their wedding night (which makes sense, because it is a MARITAL ACT. They are MARRIED) and that is that. The ending was a little sad, but that's ok. It was bittersweet, I suppose, and I admire Heyer's bravery for that. Also, Lydia is the best, but Mr. Chawleigh is the worst and quite irritating. There was decidedly too much of him in the book. XD 


Better

The Grand Sophy
This book is one of the most hilarious I have ever read. THE DUCKLINGS, guys. The DUCKLINGS. I can't deal with how funny this is. (The ducklings are only one example, of course. I just happen to find them the most memorable, because #animalscienceminor). Sophy moves in with her cousins and decides that they are badly in need of a number of fixes in the family, but she goes about all of them in ways that I would NEVER have imagined, and I STILL couldn't predict, even halfway through the book. Something is always coming up when Sophy is around. And I loved it. She's not wrong about many of the fixes that are needed! The romance is a bit more minimal/end-of-the-book-weighted, and some people complain about it, but I didn't find it in need of complaint. Really, though, the book is about Sophy's antics. That's why everyone is here. 


Regency Buck
Judith and her brother are going to live with their new guardian when they meet a stranger on the road, who takes certain slightly shocking liberties with her. As luck and Georgette would have it, this stranger also happens to be their new guardian, and seems convinced that they shall Not Have Any Fun. The battles between Judith and Lord Worth are of legendary proportions, leading to many problematic and (obviously) entertaining situations, which all wrap up into an excessively satisfying ending. (Well, I mean, it's precipitous, but it is satisfying.)


The Quiet Gentleman
The romance in this one is even more understated than usual, and I like that. Most of the book centers around family drama between the firstborn son and inheritor (Gervase) and his father's second wife and her son (Martin), who still live in his house and were rather hoping he would die in the war so that Martin would inherit. So there's quite a bit of tension there, as you can probably imagine. And when a string of suspiciously bad accidents start to happen to Gervase, Martin seems to fall under suspicion...but maybe not? The half-brother dynamics are the best. And THEN the sweet romance on top of that just makes the whole thing delightful. 


Friday's Child
I had forgotten about this book until I came back to write this post, and BOY I also forgot how funny it is! Sherry is such a ridiculously precipitous personage, until he has to grow up to take care of his equally precipitous wife. And the mischief that's gotten into, my word! This one had a lot of my favorite tropes (can't tell you what they are because #spoilers, but there we are) and I enjoyed it quite a bit. However, I did have trouble with a couple of the side characters who were pretty interchangeable and there were parts that did drag. But all-in-all, certainly worth reading. 


Best

The Masqueraders
Basically an even more complicated version of Twelfth Night, my favorite Shakespeare comedy. XD Can you imagine how complicated it is having a young woman running around Regency London dressed as a young man? I bet you can't. It's great fun, and made even better by the fact that her brother is running around Regency London dressed as a woman. (Actually, it might be a little earlier than Regency. It's right after the Jacobite rebellion/war/thing. Anyways.) Lord Anthony, who shows up a bit later, is an absolute gem, and all of the things that center around him--both the banter and the drama--are some of my favorite things about the book. But the moonlight swordfights might be a close second.


Devil's Cub
This is the sequel to These Old Shades, but I read it first, hence, it comes first in the list. I didn't find it hard to follow even without having read These Old Shades, so there is no obligation for one to read them in order. (Although one would enjoy them more if one did, I think.) In any case. I absolutely LOVE Mary and her logic and stalwartness, and Dominic is, even though a rake, a very enjoyable character to read about (but not meet). And that scene at the end! Almost as good as the ducklings. But not quite.


These Old Shades
I was not expecting how unique this book was, nor the amount of trouble that would be gotten into by basically all of the characters, but ESPECIALLY Leon. Leon is a bit of a holy terror. The Duke of Avon, while having his character flaws, of course, (like buying people...rather questionable, even if the motives were good-ish-ish) but ultimately, I like him very much. And the dynamic between him and Leon is hilarious. Especially the parts where he calls people "pig-person" and the Duke of Avon is appalled. Lots of confusion and hilarity and also an almost Count of Monte Cristo type plot-thing towards the end. Would highly recommend.


Frederica
Now we get to my first ever Georgette read, which is still my favorite Heyer book, by far. Frederica Merriville is just so funny and lovely--her determination to get Charis married, while not carrying about her own fate, and even being convinced that she is completely on the shelf, as well as her care for her younger brothers and her frank innocence definitely won my heart. And the Marquis (aka Alverstoke) is the absolute best. His crusty distain to do anything for anyone, which crumbles a bit in the face of the young Merrivilles, endears him to me, and his honorableness and the care hidden under the crustiness is sweet as well. Also, I LOVE Felix, who, as I think I've noted, reminds me quite a lot of my youngest brother, Gandalf. (Which, as I mentioned recently, I believe, will amuse you if you know me.) But in addition to the wonderful characters, the humor was over-the-top funny without being over-the-top ridiculous. The Baluchistan Hound incident being just one of the hilarious incidents. And the ending...both funny and sweet at once! So impressive! 


Have you read Georgette Heyer? What are some tropes that often irritate you but have been done well in a couple of books you've read? What's your favorite period for Historical Fiction to be set in?

Comments

  1. I haven't read any Heyer...or rather, I've never *finished* and Heyer. I tried one once--I believe the title was A Blunt Instrument--and found myself rather bored. But, as I've never heard anyone who loves Heyer gush about that particular title, I'm inclined to believe it very likely was just one of her more boring books. My cousin recommended the Masqueraders a while ago, so I'm thinking maybe I should try that one. Also I love the premise of relatives-were-hoping-young-man-would-die-in-the-war-for-inheritance-reasons-but-he-came-back-alive-and-now-they're-very-put-out, so maybe I'll have to try The Quiet Gentleman as well...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't think I've ever even HEARD of A Blunt Instrument, which is a bad sign, since I am around two Heyer fans on a regular basis and another one intermittently, and they talk about all the ones they like as well as the ones they didn't like as well, and that one has never come up, haha. So, yeah, probably not one of her better ones. I'd recommend starting with Frederica, but The Quiet Gentleman is also lovely, and could make a good first or second read.

      Delete
  2. I read False Colors... Say, why isn't it on there? (Have you read that one yet? Maybe that's why.)

    I honestly need to read more Georgette Heyer... *sighs*. Hum, one of these days.

    Faramir

    (Temperamental writer, False Colors is not boring. I think you might enjoy that one.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have not read that one yet. :)

      You should read Frederica!

      Delete
  3. Georgette Heyer's books seem right up my alley! Do you think I'd like them? The Nonesuch and The Grand Sophy sound particularly excellent. The one problem with lists like this is that I don't know where to start when I read them. Do I start with the best or work my way up to it? Ugh, I hate overthinking things. ;) The practical question to ask is which one can I get ahold of a copy of and start there.

    I think I wouldn't like A Civil Contract (personal thing), but the rest of these seem fun! I've actually considered doing a post about tropes that annoy me with the few exceptions where they are my favorite thing ever...

    (You're an animal science minor now? Bravo! That's SO COOL! I was trying to plot out minors the other day and I gave up. XD For now.)

    (You keep using words that I don't know but it's the end of the school week so I'm not looking them up. I'm too tired. XD I have such a small vocabulary and this is an example of why. XD This also explains why anything that I've said in the last few days probably doesn't make any sense. XD)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, I think you would like them! I would recommend starting with Frederica, as it is funny and full of heart and one of her best, in my opinion. It's an excellent starting point, although I might be a little biased here. But then yes, go right into The Nonesuch and The Grand Sophy, by all means.

      I would love to see that post! I'm quite curious about your bias, which I assume is against the marriage of convenience/arranged marriage trope?

      (Oh, I didn't realize I didn't tell you that! Yes, I declared an Animal Science minor. Much better than trying to pursue an AnSci major, for me at least.)

      (What words did I use that you don't know?? I get this a lot, and it always surprises me (especially since I'm not trying to be esoteric) what words I know that other people don't. XD XD XD)

      Delete
  4. Oooohhhh I love this post!!

    I'm still in the process of reading Frederica with Sarah ;)

    But I do have Arabella, The Masqueraders (I was meant to be a SCOT, my dear), as well as Friday's Child on my bookshelf... waiting to be read.

    (Also: I'm pretty sure it's The Marquis of Alverstoke - you see, the "v" makes the entire name look and sound so much more exquisite. :D ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you!

      Are you enjoying it? :) (I'm sure you are. I just want to check. ;))

      Ooh, I haven't read Arabella, but I think my mom likes it...and I think you'll enjoy both the other ones!

      (Oh, for pete's sake, did I spell it with a 'b' again? *facepalm*. Thank you for letting me know, it shall be fixed.)

      Delete
  5. AHHH it's finally here!!!!
    I love this post, am so glad you like Heyer and her wit and her research, and will now be favoring you with allll my opinions. 'Cause we have some really similar ones and some really polar opposite ones. As usual. This is why I love hearing your thoughts about stuff; it's interesting. (As the Caterpillar would say.)

    I agree with you entirely on Faro's Daughter. Fun but flawed (but fun).

    The romance in The Unknown Ajax is so adorable. "I want to know how long you've got to know a lass before it's polite to propose to her!" XD
    Also, "philosophically and morally questionable" is EXACTLY how I felt about the ending to The Quiet Gentleman. And I definitely see your point with Ajax, but TQG definitely bothered me WAY more, so, huh. That one didn't bother you at all?

    The Nonesuch is darling. I love Ancilla's strong moral compass and sensible-ness and that book doesn't stand out to me but I like it.

    Lydia was indeed the best, but HANG ON A SEC. Why don't you like Mr Chawleigh??? I get he's irritating. But he's a SWEET GUY. People like him are such a problem. You love them and hate them at the same time, and it's a PROBLEM, and maybe he didn't annoy me because I was relating to Adam so hard the entire time?? That's probably it, actually. It's nice to see a struggle one has had represented in a book. xD Especially a struggle related to politeness, because that's a quality book characters often dispense with.

    Sophy terrifies me. XD

    I've read Regency Buck but I don't remember it AT ALL. It sounds amazing and I will be rereading.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Continued thoughts:

      Friday's Child is HILARIOUS and the perfect example of what you were talking about where you should have a problem with the romance, but with the two characters being who they are you just...don't. It's the best, and it's unexpectedly poignant and sharp-eyed in places despite being such a madcap, frivolous romp?? And George is HILARIOUS and Gil is the BEST. And have you heard the story about some women in prison camps during WW2 who had read it and told the story to each other over and over? They wrote to Heyer later, and it was apparently one of the few fan letters she kept.

      I will admit the scene in Devil's Cub where Mary explains everything to the Duke of Avon, while we the audience know but she does not know that he is the Duke of Avon, is purely wonderful. But that's my least favorite Heyer book EVER, because I can't get over the fact that he was threatening to rape her, that she had to /literally shoot him/ to get him to stop, that he never really changed, that she for some reason had a crush on him even though he was the most boring person ever, and THAT HE WAS THE MOST BORING PERSON EVER. Like. If you're gonna be an evil human, have a little flair. Don't be a soggy piece of cardboard evil human. (This is my opinion. xD)

      OKAY I ALSO NEED TO TALK ABOUT THESE OLD SHADES. My second-least-favorite Heyer ever? Maybe? Maybe Venetia beats it? Maybe Powder and Patch beats it just by virtue of being so incredibly boring? Anyway, though, it's so good, isn't it??? Leonie??? And Rupert??? And...and...the shenanigans and the Duke's slow softening and remorse and "wait a sec, I care about this ridiculous child." Which is my whole thing because I loved that book so much as I was reading it, and I think it would be the BEST picaresque/redemption story combo EVER if it was about a guy in his forties becoming a father figure to a nineteen-year-old red-headed fiery waif who worships him. But the fact it turned abruptly into a romance at the end was awful and made me hate the Duke because guess what even if your dumb adopted child wants to marry you, you're an adult and that's when you say no for her own sake. Heck, he could've even had unrequited love for her but let her grow up a bit more and meet a good person to marry and Done the Right Thing because he's a Reformed Character. It would've been amazing. Because the book is amazing but I also hate it.

      THE MASQUERADERS AND FREDERICA ARE THE TWO BEST BOOKS OF ALL TIME. Well, maybe not quite that, but I love them both SO MUCH. And I'm so glad they were my introduction to Heyer. And I'm so glad you love them too.

      Delete
    2. Oooooof that is SO LONG, Samantha, I'm sorry. Please do not feel obligated to respond to...all of that. xD

      Delete
    3. Please don't apologize! I've been looking forward to your comments on this post since you suggested it. ;) I love hearing your thoughts and opinions! And it's very funny how in our opinions we're usually either almost exactly the same or polar opposite. XD

      Good-good.

      Okay, I had forgotten about that. The romance in Unknown Ajax IS adorable. I didn't *remember* being bothered by The Quiet Gentleman, but now that you mention it, there was something a little strange about the ending. But I don't think it involved literally hiding people from justice as much as justice being meted out privately? If I remember correctly? So, either it's different or I changed between reading the books. XD

      That's exactly how I feel about it. It's really solid and lovely, just not one of the more flashy ones.

      I don't KNOW he just drove me INSANE. I think it was his lack of understanding of when people wanted things and didn't, and his talking INCESSANTLY, and I'm currently in a bit of an issue with someone a bit like him right now (real life person is maybe a little less kind than Mr. Chawleigh, so there's that) so maybe it just felt a little too familiar? XD I do love how lovely Adam is toward him pretty much the whole time. That was excessively sweet.

      Honestly, yeah, I wouldn't want Sophy in my life. XD

      DEFINITELY reread Regency Buck.

      Oh yes, that actually might've been the one I was thinking of when I wrote that comment? Because it's the best, even though in any other circumstances it would be TOTALLY creepy. And you're right about the poignancy--I love the ending parts, because it's just so sweet and Right and...now I am rambling because I stayed up till 1 AM last night. XD I HADN'T heard that story about the prison camps, that is AMAZING.

      Hm. I definitely didn't see Devil's Cub through that lens, but I can certainly see how you did, and it's something I'll be looking for if/when I reread it. Didn't Dominic have SOME amount of growth, though? I can't exactly remember.

      Okay, you have a good point about These Old Shades. Honestly, in Heyer, I often give things that I would absolutely hate these days a pass because it was different back then, and it was, but you might be right that it's kind of weird and maybe gross that it turns into a romance. Because you're so right about how lovely the beginning is, with the shenanigans and the softening and so on. And I think you might *also* be right that it would've been amazing if it'd stayed in the vein. But then again, people still even these days get married to people twenty years older than them. I'm not saying it's a good idea, but it does happen. I don't know exactly where I stand on this at this precise moment, but Thoughts are being Thunk. ;)

      THEY ARE SO AMAZING! I'm really glad we can agree on those two. :)

      Delete
    4. So, with TQG, I seem to remember (it's been a while) that he just kinda...sent his cousin who /tried to murder him/ to the property in Jamaica (or wherever it was) like "I don't want a scandal, I don't wanna deal with this, I just want to send you away where I'll never have to see you again and you won't bother me" and like...there were no safeguards? He's sending someone who tried to murder, not just a human being, but his good friend, for an inheritance, off into the world scot-free, unsupervised? Like, that just seems irresponsible. Theo wasn't sorry. If he wasn't sorry for one attempted murder, why do you think he's a safe person to send out into the world? I don't get it. It seems a lot worse to me than just protecting Richmond from the consequences of an activity which, while illegal, did not involve murdering people and which he was sorry for and going to stop doing. (What I'm saying is, even if I say that Hugo did the wrong thing (which he might well have), he did a much less bad/dangerous to others wrong thing and for much more understandable reasons. imo.) I might be remembering wrongly, tho, cuz it's been a while.

      Okay, if you're currently in a Situation with a less-kind Mr Chawleigh, that's understandable. XD Sometimes things are just Too Close to Reality. XD

      Dominic might have grown, or like the narrative might have tried to say that he did? I just know that in my opinion he didn't, lol. I guess he became slightly less dense? Which, granted, is improvement.

      Thoughts being Thunk is always good. ;) Yeah, it's true that age gaps happen and can be fine (people freaking out about relatively small age gaps - like less than ten years - annoys me SO MUCH on behalf of all the wonderful age-gap married people I know :P), but I think why it bothered me so much in this case was the *maturity* gap. I mean, twenty is also just a really big age gap. But with, say, Frederica and Alverstoke, sure it's thirteen years, but he's still in his prime and maybe a little immature due to never being forced to grow up, whereas she's well into HER prime and also extra mature due to being a big sister and a de facto mom and mistress-of-the-manor. But the Duke of Avon is very experienced and /past/ his prime, while Leonie is very naive and just entering /her/ prime, and it's just...weird. And icky. To me. Because they're not peers in any sense. Yeah. I honestly just need to write some fanfiction that changes the ending for my own satisfaction. XD

      Delete
    5. Ohhhh, that's right. I forgot about that. I can see how it could be construed as irresponsible, but for some reason or other, I didn't see it that way. Maybe because there's not many people in wherever-it-was to be murdered for their inheritances? Not to be flippant...the objection just didn't occur to me. I definitely understand why you think what Hugo did wasn't as bad. Interesting...maybe that one bothered me more just because it was more direct. Hm.

      Yes, sometimes they really are. XD

      That is an improvement, certainly.

      The point about there being a maturity gap is a really good one. There's definitely possibility for equal maturity with an age gap, and I think that's really what makes most age gap marriages work? Is that the people are at a similar maturity level, if not age level? Maybe the same *internal* age, if that's not a weird concept. Anywho. Yes, I do think that the Duke and Leonie have a certain maturity gap. I will continue to consider. (But in the meantime, that sounds like a fun, fun writing project.)

      Delete
  6. Agh these look so FUN. I've had Heyer on my casual mental list for, like, forever now. But I've yet to do anything about it. *sigh* Ah well, one of these days!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They ARE fun, and I think you'd really enjoy many of them, if you get around to it!

      Delete
  7. Of these, I've only read Frederica, but it was such a hoot! I have a bunch of the others on my TBR shelves, so I'll get to them one of these days :-)

    What do you think of Heyer's mysteries? As much as I enjoy her Regency novels, I just can't really get into her mysteries, and that disappoints me a bit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "hoot" is exactly the correct word for Frederica!

      I actually haven't read any of her mysteries, since none have been recommended to me, which, since I have four people recommending Heyer to me, speaks volumes about THEIR opinions of her mysteries, I think. XD

      Delete
    2. I read her Christmas mystery, "The Christmas Party" (first published as "Envious Casca"), and it just... was not very fun. Lots of mean and/or crabby people being mean and/or crabby. I tried another one and it was also filled with unpleasant people.

      Someone told me recently that she didn't like writing mysteries at all, but her publisher kind of demanded them, so she would have her husband come up with the plots and then just fill in a bunch of characters and write them as quickly as she could. I think that's probably why they aren't very fun.

      Delete
    3. Hm. That doesn't sound very pleasant, for sure. I heard a similar thing, that part of why she wrote was to keep her family afloat or something like that, and yes, her husband would do the plots and she would write them, and that sounds like a horrible way to work, honestly, so I'm not surprised they're not great.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Hi! I'm so glad you are here and taking the time to comment. I love all comments, even ones on old posts! I just ask that you are respectful and keep the comments section clean. Thank you!